According to Yahoo Finance on June 15, Robert Kiyosaki, the author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, recently posted a video on Instagram arguing that Americans have continued to suffer slow, invisible wealth theft since August 15, 1971, when Nixon announced that the US dollar was taken off the gold standard. Based on data from the Minneapolis Fed, over the past 55 years the dollar’s purchasing power has shrunk by about 87.75%.
Kiyosaki Rehashes a Historical Event: The Dollar Leaves the Gold Standard System in 1971
Confirmed historical event: On August 15, 1971, US President Nixon announced that the dollar would officially leave the gold standard system, ending the fixed exchange relationship between the US dollar and gold.
Kiyosaki’s interpretation (his personal statements, not independent facts): Kiyosaki calls this day the “start of savings being slowly stolen,” and says: “From that day on, every time a new dollar is printed, it quietly dilutes the purchasing power of the dollars you already hold.” He describes the process as “slow, invisible plunder,” believing many families don’t even realize it.
Minneapolis Fed Purchasing Power Data
Based on calculations using data from the Minneapolis Fed (as cited by Yahoo Finance):
$100 in 2026: Actual purchasing power is roughly equivalent to $12.25 in 1971
Purchasing power decline: Over the past 55 years, down about 87.75%
The above figures are public inflation adjustment calculations, reflecting the long-term impact of compound inflation on currency purchasing power. In his speeches and posts, Kiyosaki uses this to argue that ordinary families’ savings and wages continue to be eroded.
Kiyosaki’s Four Recommended Asset Classes: Recorded in His Personal Declarations
According to Yahoo Finance, in his latest remarks Kiyosaki confirmed that the recommended anti-inflation asset categories include:
Gold: “Gold cannot be printed,” Kiyosaki says, arguing that its scarcity is the biggest advantage; reports say that over the past five years the international gold price has risen cumulatively by more than 120%
Silver: Alongside gold, a precious metal store-of-value tool
Bitcoin and Ethereum: Kiyosaki puts them alongside gold and silver, saying that limited supply is a shared anti-inflation attribute
Real estate: Kiyosaki says it has both anti-inflation capability and rental cash flow, and believes housing demand is relatively stable
Kiyosaki also noted that in the recent cryptocurrency market, pullbacks have occurred due to factors including hawkish expectations from the Federal Reserve, geopolitical conflicts, and ETF outflows, but he said he still maintains a bullish stance in the long term.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Kiyosaki’s “cash is trash” view mean?
In posts on the X platform, Kiyosaki reiterated that simply holding cash cannot preserve wealth because the money supply keeps expanding, continually diluting the purchasing power of cash. He used a comparison: “It takes 1.9 million years for $1 trillion at $1 spent per minute,” to emphasize the scale of modern monetary expansion. This is Kiyosaki’s personal view on investing, not an assessment by market institutions or regulatory bodies.
Does the Minneapolis Fed purchasing power data represent an official confirmed position?
The inflation-adjustment calculator provided by the Minneapolis Fed is a public tool used to calculate a dollar’s actual purchasing power in specific years. The figure “$100 in 2026 is equivalent to $12.25 in 1971” is based on mathematical calculations using the cumulative inflation rate; it is public, verifiable statistical data rather than a policy position statement.
Did Kiyosaki’s remarks this time include any new specific investment recommendations?
According to Yahoo Finance, in his latest Instagram video and X posts, Kiyosaki did not propose any specific investment amounts or time-frame recommendations. His core stance is consistent with the framework he has long recommended: gold, real estate, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and silver. All of the above are Kiyosaki’s personal views and do not constitute investment advice.
